average

average
averageable, adj.averagely, adv.averageness, n.
/av"euhr ij, av"rij/, n., adj., v., averaged, averaging.
n.
1. a quantity, rating, or the like that represents or approximates an arithmetic mean: Her golf average is in the 90s. My average in science has gone from B to C this semester.
2. a typical amount, rate, degree, etc.; norm.
3. Statistics. See arithmetic mean.
4. Math. a quantity intermediate to a set of quantities.
5. Com.
a. a charge paid by the master of a ship for such services as pilotage or towage.
b. an expense, partial loss, or damage to a ship or cargo.
c. the incidence of such an expense or loss to the owners or their insurers.
d. an equitable apportionment among all the interested parties of such an expense or loss. Cf. general average, particular average.
6. on the or an average, usually; typically: She can read 50 pages an hour, on the average.
adj.
7. of or pertaining to an average; estimated by average; forming an average: The average rainfall there is 180 inches.
8. typical; common; ordinary: The average secretary couldn't handle such a workload. His grades were nothing special, only average.
v.t.
9. to find an average value for (a variable quantity); reduce to a mean: We averaged the price of milk in five neighborhood stores.
10. (of a variable quantity) to have as its arithmetic mean: Wheat averages 56 pounds to a bushel.
11. to do or have on the average: He averages seven hours of sleep a night.
v.i.
12. to have or show an average: to average as expected.
13. average down, to purchase more of a security or commodity at a lower price to reduce the average cost of one's holdings.
14. average out,
a. to come out of a security or commodity transaction with a profit or without a loss.
b. to reach an average or other figure: His taxes should average out to about a fifth of his income.
15. average up, to purchase more of a security or commodity at a higher price to take advantage of a contemplated further rise in prices.
[1485-95; earlier averay charge on goods shipped, orig. duty ( < MF avarie < OIt avaria < Ar 'awariyah damaged merchandise), with -AGE r. -ay]

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      in maritime law, loss or damage, less than total, to maritime (maritime law) property (a ship or its cargo), caused by the perils of the sea. An average may be particular or general. A particular average is one that is borne by the owner of the lost or damaged property (unless he was insured against the risk). A general average is one that is borne in common by the owners of all the property engaged in the venture.

      The basic idea of general average (the more important form) pertains to property that is voluntarily sacrificed to preserve the remainder of the property from destruction (as by throwing cargo overboard or cutting away masts to preserve the ship in a storm); the owners of the property saved must contribute to the owners of the property sacrificed in such an amount that all will have contributed proportionately to the aggregate value of the lost property.

      Such a custom of contribution was firmly established in Roman law by the 6th century AD. What is now called the law of general average thus has an ancient lineage, and the doctrine has been admitted by all seafaring nations as part of their maritime laws. Repeated attempts to draft international conventions in the field of general average, however, have met with failure.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • average — n Average, mean, median, norm, par denote something and usually a number, a quantity, or a condition that represents a middle point between extremes. Of these words average, mean, median, and par are also used as adjectives. Average is an… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • average — [av′ər ij, av′rij] n. [altered (by assoc. with ME average, money rent paid in place of service by the tenant with his horses < aver, draft horse) < OFr avarie, damage to ship or goods, mooring charges < OIt avaria < Ar ʿ awār, damaged …   English World dictionary

  • average — I (midmost) adjective center, centermost, intermediate, mean, mean proportioned, medial, median, mediate, medium, mid, middle, middle class, middle grade, middlemost, middling associated concepts: average annual earnings or wages, average capital …   Law dictionary

  • Average — Av er*age, n. [OF. average, LL. averagium, prob. fr. OF. aver, F. avoir, property, horses, cattle, etc.; prop. infin., to have, from L. habere to have. Cf. F. av[ e]rage small cattle, and avarie (perh. of different origin) damage to ship or cargo …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Average — Av er*age, a. 1. Pertaining to an average or mean; medial; containing a mean proportion; of a mean size, quality, ability, etc.; ordinary; usual; as, an average rate of profit; an average amount of rain; the average Englishman; beings of the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Average — Av er*age, v. i. To form, or exist in, a mean or medial sum or quantity; to amount to, or to be, on an average; as, the losses of the owners will average twenty five dollars each; these spars average ten feet in length. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • average — [adj1] normal, typical boilerplate*, common, commonplace, customary, dime a dozen*, everyday, fair, fair to middling*, familiar, garden*, garden variety*, general, humdrum*, intermediate, mainstream, mediocre, medium, middle of the road*,… …   New thesaurus

  • average — ► NOUN 1) the result obtained by adding several amounts together and then dividing the total by the number of amounts. 2) a usual amount or level. ► ADJECTIVE 1) constituting an average. 2) usual or ordinary. 3) mediocre. ► …   English terms dictionary

  • Average — Av er*age, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Averaged} (?); p. pr. & vb. n. {Averaging}.] 1. To find the mean of, when sums or quantities are unequal; to reduce to a mean. [1913 Webster] 2. To divide among a number, according to a given proportion; as, to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • avérage — 1. (a vé ra j ) s. m. Terme de commerce. La moyenne avérée, vraie, reconnue telle, et en général la moyenne. Sur trois ans l avérage a été de.... ÉTYMOLOGIE    Avérer. avérage 2. (entrée créée par le supplément) (a vé ra j ) s. m. Nom, dans le… …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

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